The show is a satire based on the FOX Television show COPS, which follows actual police officers through their daily duties (often chasing criminals and intervening in domestic disputes). Reno 911! features members of a fictitious Reno Sheriff's Department, videotaped in the course of their duties, sometimes addressing the camera directly as though being interviewed. The show deals heavily in non-politically-correct and 'racy' humor, including many jokes about race, sexual orientation, drug & alcohol abuse, rape, and so on. It has been nominated for and received various awards